"CON." MEN BUSY.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 19463, 9 November 1928, Page 18

"CON." MEN BUSY.

TWO VICTIMS. WELSH DOCTOR AND .- NEW ; ZEALANDBR. (FBOSI OtTR OWN CORBEBPOHBBIrr.) • LONDON,, September 21. In the same issue, a' London paper, on September 19th; gave. publicity to .the stories of people whohadben, victimised .by clever confidence people. ■ In the first place, Mr James Deason, ■ a New Zealand farmer, who is visiting England, complained- to the; London police that confidence • tricksters had robbed, him of 24500. \ ! Mr; Deason, met three men * at hia hotel and : became friendly. with thein.' • When it was discovered that -he was; a | New Zealand farmer the men put forward a scheme for the. treatment of meat in' New Zealand, and'Mr-Deason it is, understood, parted with, his money for the purchase of plant and, patent rights. :> v - ■ Bobbed of £2500.' ■ Dr.. John Henry Morris : Jones,o£. Colw^;s Bay, Denbighshire, has- been robbed of £2500 by a confidence trickster* • v , Dr. Morris-Jones is.one of the best-' known medical practitioners in the",di«r trict. Kecently he was.< called -upon- by a man who said he wished- the doctor to-visit his sick daughter. -v. . The * conMence trickster, v who ; had polished manners and - a /plausible tongue,'was staying at a bighfitel, and appeared to' be a person .of wealth and position.' He made an alluring-.■ proposition: to the .doctor, who handed over the money- The - man has not, since been seen. ' • Several other complaints ;hav® been made in'other parts of the country con-, kerning the activities .of the' satiie -trick* ster, who is kniown to'-, tie 'police. ,

Tochniq.ua of the Trad®. The "Evening.. News" comments:— ' 'The average man, well aware that, by no effort could- he extract., iflve shillings, let • alone of pounds, out of his fellow-men.by any but ,the most.. rigorously honest methods,/ canriot believe .'that these , plunderings, are, sufficiently accounted-for'by the .Barnumian' dictum that , there is a'BUcker born every minute. ■ Neither... wealthy New Zealand farmers, nor medical practitioners can be- complete mugs., • "The truth is that confidence trickstering moves with the times. ylts technique becomes more perfect., .Its experts, become still - more.; adept- In lawn tennis, or flying, - or. chess, an 6xhißitiori. of. • the game in' its. : most advanced form involves results that , seem to us little short of. miraculous. But the stroke production of a Cochet4s,:not more' 'astonishing; more smooth c and 'irresistible, than the spoof-production of a high-grade confidence man. The . way of a bird-man in the-air'is., not more marvellous: than, the way of a word man iii the lounge of a hotel.